Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-07-22
TEXAS IRON FIELDS.
Something of the Iron Fields OF the Lono
Star state.
81 Louis Age OF Steel

81 Louis Age OF steel
( Ia our issue OF last week we had par
iagrsph referring to tle subject Of the iron
in Eastern Texas. The
lm2tttr is taking shape Just at present,
through the Efforts Of several gentlemen
living n that state who are owners, bV
recent purchase, Of about 10000 acres Of
iron ore and timber lands near the town
u Bgsh. Az is known TO the iron
world il general, the state OF Texas
owns s furnace located at Rusk,
which has been operating for several
ycsrs past under the CoGtrol Of the state
Officials, but with convict labor. In
tnsncia. point Of view the stste has not
made s very great success of II, but iG
the way Of iron making it has done very
well, having produced quality Of iron
Of very superior grade; in fact, for very
many purposes its iron is standard in the
market For car wheel purposes prOba-
bly, no iron in the country has shown
better Iesults. Wheels made from this
iron have stood 9 mileage run on the
Missouri Pacific system longer than shy
other wheels used by that company
Excellent results have also been obtained
from this same iron for making chilled
plows, IS well as iron pipe. The
state has in its possession only g small
psrt Of the iron 1lelds in that To-
calityr sud the gentlemen referred
to who nave recently bought up the 90
600 acres are preparing TO commence
operations Oh en- extensive plan. The
ore beds in this locality are known as
"5leuket" deposits, the ore lying in veins
fat upon the ground with only few feet
OF saud covering them. Tee mode CT
operating is simply TO strip of these
sand beds by the use Of sCrsTers and
carts and then take up the ore. The
ores are brown hematite and lamna.ed
black hematite and are very dense 10
structure. The deposits are said to be
beyond measure, being in thickness from
two to seven feet, ana covering thou
sands of sCres OF land. A large number
Of assays made by the best essayers show
the ore to run from 40 to 60 per cent. in
metallic iron.
Water and gas pipe are made from the
BuSk iron by what is known Is the direct |
process. BY this mode of manufacture |
the metal is conveyed directly from the |
furnace in 3 stationary ladle Of fifteen /
tons capacity, from which ii is drawn out /
and distributed from smsller lsdles di- /
rscl'y into the ripe mods; by this opera
for this process that q thinner pipe can bed
made that will stand higher pressure per
sGusTe inch than pipe made by the Ordi- |
nary process All pipe made is tested TO |
SEQ pounds. The difference in favor OIL
this process as compared with others is I
from ) so to S. 90 per ton. They are |
making pipe to-day from three to tWel9s4
inches in diameter, and the pipe fOunAr |
f-tY IN oh
to meet the demand. I
The fuel supply in the neighborhood Of |
these wonderful deposits Of iron is limit
ed to charcoal, but the amount of char
cosl TO be had is entirely plentiful: in
fact, it might be said, unlimited. For
scores of miles in either direction the
country is almost an unbToken forest,
timDered with pine. walnut, hickory and
oak Of q very superior quality. And as
the people in that country are only busy 8
few months Of the year with their cotton
planting and gathering, it is expected
that they VIII 90 into the charcoal burn
ing business ands be able TO supply the
demand st low figures. By the constTuC-
tiCn of q few miles OF trsmway an i'm
mense deposit of limestone suitable for
use in the blast furnaces can
be. had. These deposits of lime
can also furnish a profitable investment
for the making Of lime for the general
msrket. Water IS plentiful, the supply
being furnished from never fslling
springs. Two competing lines OF railway
orl1s junction only six miles from the
ron deposits, being the Missouri Pacific
.ndthe Texas and St. Louis, from which
he St. Louis and Arkansas road runs di ]
ectlY through tne entire field At pres
mt Q s. % rate is furnished to this ,
MARKET, whlchis lower than the Alabama /
rons h4.eete pay. Other lines of railroad {
re reaching out in the same direction, so (
hat the question of transportation is s
lready answered. We expect to hear of
boom in the Texas iron fields before ,
n2ny months.